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Superintendent seeks less‑proprietary pump options as town plans influent pump replacement
Summary
The superintendent told the commission the town will seek multiple pump options rather than rely solely on the manufacturer referred to in the meeting as 'flight' because spare parts and motors took lengthy lead times; staff will return with at least three non‑proprietary options for consideration.
Richmond's superintendent reported Nov. 18 on progress toward replacing an obsolete influent pump and expressed concern about depending on a single, highly proprietary manufacturer for critical components and motors. In the meeting transcript the brand was referred to as "flight"; the superintendent requested engineering options that include pumps with off‑the‑shelf motors or domestic sourcing to shorten lead times for parts.
Staff described operational needs: the current influent equipment is unreliable, the plant's previous pumps dated to the 1970s, and maintenance experience showed long waits for replacement parts (multiples of the originally quoted lead times). The superintendent asked the vendor/engineer to return with three alternative pump configurations that would be easier to service and would reduce dependence on a single overseas parts supply chain.
Commissioners supported the approach, stressing reliability and maintainability as priorities over adopting a particular brand. Staff also updated the commission on ancillary operations: the PLC for the septage receiving unit is scheduled for installation once programing is complete; the clarifier reassembly is pending epoxy work; most airators in the aeration tank will be replaced next spring; and the plant has increased monitoring of total Kjeldahl nitrogen/ammonia after readings were elevated, moving from quarterly to twice‑monthly monitoring as a precaution.
Next steps: staff will return with at least three pump options (including one with more commonly available motors), timeline and comparative parts availability, and further updates on PLC installation and clarifier work.
